Confluence Gallery is pleased to bring “Oil & Water: A Plein Aire Art Show” to the main gallery October 5 through November 16. Curators Joanne Marracci and Caryl Campbell asked 25 artists to submit paintings that follow the tradition of doing a lot of the painting in the field known as plein aire. The show will feature plein aire artists that work in both oil paint and watercolor paint.

The tradition of plein aire painting goes back centuries, and really you can consider the cave art to be plein aire. Painting what you saw in the landscape and not an idealized concept of what you saw is newer, starting in about 1500. It was really popular in the 1800s. The most famous of these outdoor painters are the impressionists Cezanne, Monet, Cassatt, Renoir and van Gogh.

Of all the artistic practices, plein aire comes with a unique set of hazards. All of the challenges of painting outside gives the work a fresh presence, the bugs in the paint and the wind blowing dust on things. The easel blowing over and the water freezing (some intrepid painters put vodka in the water to keep it from freezing). This adds life to the work. The story of the elements plays a critical role in how a painting turns out in plein aire.

Oil & Water features both established and emerging plein aire artists from the North Central Washington region.

DATES: Exhibit, Oct 5-Nov 16; Reception, Oct 5, 5-7pm. LOCATION/CONTACT: Confluence Gallery, Twisp, WA. 509-997-2787, info@confluencegallery.com